Circuit Training

Yesterday morning, my girlfriends and I shared our first post-Christmas workout together at E2 and were given the opportunity to circuit train with the new owner Kyle. It looks so much easier sitting from the couch, with a bowl of ice cream, watching 'The Biggest Loser' contestants drip in sweat as they pull-up, dip down, squat with weights, toss weighted sports balls in the air, play tug-a-war with ropes and then repeat once more with a few extra push-ups in the mix all the while having a trainer joyfully enjoy his job of "encouraging" you to squat lower or throw higher. 

Kyle is an extremely talented, gifted guy and he knows what he's doing when in the gym setting. My muscles trust him. (not sure they thank him today!) Us three ladies found ourselves rotating through these circuit training exercises enjoying the moment and trusting they would eventually get us to our personal goals. (a stronger, faster runner) It wasn't until later in the day, and this morning, when I attempted to get out of bed that it hit me...

or hurt me. 

Life has us all on a circuit training course creating muscle memory, stronger bodies and minds, and to make us a better person. 

There are moments in my life where I feel like "I've been down that road before" or "here we go again." Situations that I should have learned the first time but for some reason, I needed to try again. I believe that God gives me these moments to build stronger character in my life. Opportunities to try to do things better, make me strong, see things differently. 

I had times in my life where I needed to exercise my forgiveness muscle daily; sometimes hourly. Situations that need grace as the minutes flew by in the day. I had to put my heart on a circuit training workout so that I could do what God commands me to do. There were moments where I had no desire to change or become stronger but I knew that God wanted me to once again, repeat the exercise of forgiveness. 

Or how about that child that sucks every ounce of patience from my savings account? Having to repeat that circuit training workout of offering grace and patience to that "sweet" child is a choice which results in huge pride for the little blessings that were given to me. 

Think of it as our faith muscle. 

Sometimes it seems as if we walk through the same pain or feel stuck in a negative situation, but remember that God is in the business of building a better you and waiting for us to never grow tired of depending on Him more. The more we read the Bible and sit in conversation with Him, the stronger our faith muscles become. Then, once in a taunting situation or devastating moment, those faith muscles will remember, trust, and rely on God to carry us through. 

Today My Hero was not feeling so hot as she was hanging over the kitchen sink with my amazing mother tenderly rubbing her back. My Hero has been on a circuit training workout for nearly seven years and her body is feeling spent. There has been very few times where she has complained about the pain, the treatments, or the sheer exhaustion of this long run with cancer. She has faced it with courage and her faith muscles have never been stronger. 

I pray that someday God will see that My Hero is strong enough to go find a new workout. Something that will give her great delight and joy. A race with less physical fatigue and more physical strength. Strength that she has not known for many years. 

I thank God for allowing me to repeat training exercises and pray that when placed in front of the pull-up bar I can not shiver in pain, but rejoice in the truth it will teach me knowing that God is my coach and will never leave me alone. 

So, I welcome the training and pray I can learn to approach life with my faith muscle, remembering to not give up, but to keep on running, training, and becoming a stronger me.